 nedhamson says: Very vigorous response by the Saudi's unfortunately, it will not guarantee keeping commercial poultry flocks free of avian flu. Vaccination will help but more novel or innovative means are called for. For example - they could stop raising chickens and other poultry for a year or so. More often than not, it's the migratory birds that are taking the bug all over the world. They should raise chickens in total isolation from the outside world. It can be done. Expensive, yes... But something tells me Sudi Arabia can "pump out" the cash. rfnajera: Saudi's may well have the money to do whatever they want to but in this case not. It's more complicated than world leaders have presented. All flu viruses are passed along via sweat, spit, urine and "poop." The annual changes in people flu viruses begin in poultry, then the Chinese do what they think is a good thing - and normally it would be good - they take the poultry poop and recycle it in fish ponds to provide goo nutrients for growing stuff fish like. Then normally, pigs drink fro the same water and they get the virus and pass it on to humans. Poultry, pigs and people have field day getting ready for Lunar New Year in February, when having a live chicken, goos, duck or... Well, I have as many theories on all this as you do. The truth is we just don't know. Yours is very sound, however. CJ Peters, formed CDC epidemiologist, believes that socioeconomics is to blame when it comes to emerging infectious disease. Put the poorest people in the most undeveloped part of the world and in areas where wild and domesticated animals roam freely, and you're just asking for some new (to us) bug to pop up. I'm thinking Ebola in Africa, VHF in Bolivia, and flu in Asia. Most of my information is from WHO, CDC and even a pandemic course I took at University of Buffalo. I believe it the information was there, we'd find that most ebola outbreaks occur after recent deforestation - poor man's industry and rich man's the globe over. The field mice/voles carry Hanta and there is a hemorrhagic (ebola) version of Hanta. Millions upon million of Aztecs in what is now Mexico, died from a disease that resembled ebola. The source you cite, is more than likely correct. It is not technology that will save us but uncommon good sense and an ability to stop denying we are the problem - as you have already done. I recommend Dr. Peters' autobiography, "Virus Hunter", s well as "When Germs Travel" by Howard Markel. In "Virus", Dr. Peters talks about his run-ins with politics and turf wars while investigating "Sin Nombre Virus" in the Four Corners region. And in "Travel", the author talks about past epidemics that have struck the US and how people reacted (or over-reacted) to them. Really good reads. And, yes, I agree that it's the simple stuff we overlook which could be our salvation. Thanks - I'll add to my reading list. |
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